During a visit to Tonga, UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a stark warning about the severe dangers faced by Pacific island nations due to rising sea levels. He emphasized the urgent need for global action to prevent catastrophic consequences, calling on the world to “answer the SOS before it is too late.”
Guterres urged the international community to “look to the Pacific and listen to the science” as he unveiled two critical reports during the Pacific Islands Forum, the region’s most significant annual political assembly. These reports highlighted the alarming rate of climate change impacts on the Pacific region, particularly the rapid increase in sea-surface temperatures.
According to a regional assessment compiled by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and released on Tuesday, sea-surface temperatures in the southwest Pacific have risen three times faster than the global average since 1980. The report also revealed that marine heatwaves in the region have nearly doubled in frequency since that time, becoming more intense and prolonged. In 2023 alone, 34 hydrometeorological hazard events, primarily storms or floods, occurred in the southwest Pacific, resulting in over 200 deaths and affecting more than 25 million people.
A second report released by the UN’s climate action team on the same day underscored the immediate threat posed by the climate crisis and rising sea levels, particularly for the small island developing states in the Pacific. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) had already concluded in 2021, with high confidence, that global mean sea levels were rising at an unprecedented rate due to human-induced global warming—a trend unseen in at least the past 3,000 years.
However, the new UN report, titled Surging Seas in a Warming World, raised fresh concerns, noting that recent research on climate “tipping points” and ice sheet dynamics suggests that future sea-level rise could be significantly greater and occur much sooner than previously anticipated. The report emphasized that sea-level rise is primarily driven by the melting of land ice and the thermal expansion of seawater as it warms.
Addressing reporters in Tonga on Tuesday, Guterres highlighted the immense destructive potential of rising sea levels, describing it as having “unparalleled power to cause havoc to coastal cities and ravage coastal economies.” He pointed out that Pacific island nations are particularly vulnerable, with 90% of their populations living within five kilometers of the coast and roughly half of their infrastructure located within 500 meters of the sea. Guterres warned that if global temperatures rise by 3°C above preindustrial levels—a scenario likely under current policies—Pacific islands could experience at least 15 centimeters of additional sea-level rise by mid-century and face more than 30 days of coastal flooding annually in some areas.
Guterres declared that his visit to Tonga was a call to action for the world to “Save Our Seas” from the devastating impact of rising sea levels. He described the situation as “a crisis entirely of humanity’s making,” one that could soon escalate to an unimaginable scale, with no escape in sight. Yet, he stressed that by saving the Pacific, the world could also save itself from the broader consequences of climate change.
As the COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan approaches in November, Guterres urged global leaders to take decisive action, calling for a drastic reduction in global emissions and a “fast and fair” transition away from fossil fuels. He emphasized the need for a “massive” increase in financial support for vulnerable countries, arguing that a significant surge in funding is necessary to address the rising seas.
The issue of climate finance is expected to be a key agenda item at COP29, particularly as the previous commitment by wealthy nations to mobilize $100 billion annually in climate finance is set to expire. On Tuesday, a coalition of civil society organizations urged Australia to increase its support for Pacific nations on the frontlines of the climate crisis. The groups, including ActionAid Australia and Oxfam Australia, called on the Australian government to back a new $1 trillion global climate finance goal, hoping to inspire other wealthy countries to follow suit.
The coalition’s report, titled Seizing the Moment: A New Climate Finance Goal that Delivers for the Pacific, criticized Australia and New Zealand for falling short of the needed contributions. While Australia has committed $3 billion over five years to 2025, this amount is significantly below its estimated fair share of the $100 billion goal, which is approximately $4 billion annually.
Rufino Varea, Regional Director of the Pacific Islands Climate Action Network, highlighted the severe climate impacts endured by Pacific communities, despite their minimal contribution to the crisis. Michelle Higelin, Executive Director of ActionAid Australia, emphasized the urgent need for substantial climate finance, noting that the current climate crisis is exacerbating debt burdens and deepening gender inequality in Pacific countries.
As the annual Pacific Islands Forum leaders’ meeting convenes, with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expected to attend, the focus on climate action and financial support for vulnerable nations will be more critical than ever.
